(Reuters) – The following is a summary of some of the latest scientific studies on the novel coronavirus and efforts to find cures and vaccines for COVID-19, the disease that caused the virus.
Variety in Brazil more likely to revive survivors
A circulating coronavirus variant in Brazil appears to be able to reverse survivors of diseases with earlier versions of the coronavirus, new data suggest. The variant that appeared in Brazil, called P.1, carries a mutation that is already known to make variants common in South Africa more difficult to treat with antibodies and more difficult to prevent with available vaccines. New data show that, in many recovered patients, immunity to earlier versions of the virus does not protect P.1. Researchers tested the neutral potential of antibodies in plasma samples taken from COVID-19 survivors caused by earlier versions of the virus. The plasma was “with less 6-fold neutral capacity” against the P.1 version than against earlier virus versions, the researchers reported Monday ahead of a peer review of an introductory server that belongs to Lancet magazine. “The lower neutralization capacity of SARS-CoV-2 antibodies and partial immunity to new mutations suggest that redefining may occur in individuals or even vaccines,” the authors said. a separate paper posted Wednesday on medRxiv ahead of peer review, some of the same researchers estimated, among every 100 survivors of COVID-19 as a result of viral versions Earlier, 25-to-60 could be redefined if exposed to the variable P.1 because their antibodies could not protect them.As Thursday, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control on Prevention, there have been 13 cases of COVID-19 due to P.1 in the United States. (Bit.ly/2PyNFGt; bit.ly/3qeqq1a)
COVID-19 vaccine antibodies enter breast milk
COVID-19 antibodies caused by vaccines from Pfizer Inc / BioNTech and Moderna Inc can enter breast milk, a small study suggests, although it is not yet clear how long the antibodies will last. present. Six expectant breastfeeding mothers received both doses of the Pfizer / BioNTech or Moderna vaccines in pre- and post-vaccination researchers’ milk samples, and the final sample was collected two weeks after the second sight. None of the women were infected with the coronavirus. One week after the first sighting, all women had COVID-19 antibodies in breast milk. Antibody levels fell shortly thereafter and then increased significantly after the second sight. Both vaccines were equally effective in stimulating the antibodies, although antibody levels varied from woman to woman, the research team reported Tuesday on medRxiv ahead of a peer review. “Further research is needed into the extent of antibody response to breast milk, as well as the magnitude and duration of the effect on infants’ immunity to the virus,” the researchers said (bit.ly/3kNOPJP)
Common neurologic issues in hospitalized children with COVID-19
Most children and adolescents are prevented from developing COVID-19, but among those who need to go to hospital, temporary neurologic effects are common, researchers found. In their study of 1,695 patients aged 21 or younger in hospital for COVID-19 or a COVID-19-related illness called multisystem inflammatory syndrome, 365 – or 22% – had neurologic problems, giving 43 (12%) had a life-threatening neurologic. disorders such as strokes and diseases of the central nervous system. Other neurologic effects included seizures, headache, weakness, loss of smell and taste, and altered consciousness or upset. The majority of patients had neurologic involvement immobilized and corrected by the time they left hospital, according to a report published Friday in JAMA Neurology. Since they only studied children in the hospital, the range and extent of neurologic disorders may be an estimate of the true case, the authors said. They said more research is needed both to find out how often he wants to monitor these children in the long run. (bit.ly/2PCxXKC)
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Reciting with Nancy Lapid; Edited by Bill Berkrot